Price among Habs not making trip to Chicago (with video)

The Canadiens will be in Chicago Wednesday night to play the Blackhawks (7:30 p.m., TSN, RDS, TSN Radio 690) but some key players won’t be making the trip.

After Tuesday’s practice in Brossard, coach Michel Therrien announced that Carey Price, Alexei Emelin, Andrei Markov, Douglas Murray, Brandon Prust and Travis Moen won’t be making the trip. Murray will serve the final game of his three-game suspension, while Prust (upper-body injury) and Moen (concussion) are still nursing injuries.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the Canadiens called up goalie Dustin Tokarski from the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs to serve as the backup to Peter Budaj against the Blackhawks.

“Markov and Emelin are defencemen who play in very difficult situations, against the best offensive players on the other teams,” Therrien told reporters in Brossard. “I saw this as a good opportunity to give them a game off so that they could get some treatment and do some off-ice workouts to be 100 per cent for the rest of the season.”

Defenceman Josh Gorges, who has been sidelined since early March with a broken hand, will return to the lineup against the Blackhawks.

“Nothing compares to game conditioning and being in game shape,” Gorges said after practice. “That’s why I felt it was so important for me to get back for these final few games before the playoffs started. I am the most impatient guy when it comes to stuff like this. Like I said, the physical battle is one thing, but the mental aspect of it, not being able to compete, not being able to help your teammates out and having to sit there and to watch day after day, that eats at you. I’m glad that that’s over and we can move forward. As far as I know, I’ll be ready to go.”

The Canadiens have three games remaining in the regular season. After Wednesday’s game in Chicago, they return home to face the New York Islanders on Thursday night and the New York Rangers on Saturday night.

Many say a cut below because of the shorter schedule (55) and much less physicality.
That’s not saying there are not good players, yet the overall is weaker.

This is just 1 game – an AHL all star team against Farjestads.
Hard to know what it means…

February 12, 2014
In the first international contest in AHL All-Star history, the American Hockey League All-Star team posted a 7-2 victory over Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League in the 2014 AHL All-Star Game

Reading the Leafs’ post-mortem in the Older Comments, and from where I’m sitting, we’re seeing Burkie’s team.

There were a ton of posters on here singing Burkie’s praises earlier this year, saying that he knows how to build a team, and our hopeless GM hasn’t got a clue, and on and on…

Now Toronto are out, and we’re in 2nd in our Division, 3rd in the East.

Burkie’s monotonous brand of ‘Bigger Is Better Truculance’ is not what the NHL is about anymore. Watch as the opposition skates around Franson (6’5″, 213), Fraser (6’4″, 220), Phaneuf (6’3″, 214), and Ranger (6’3″, 210) like they’re chairs someone left on the ice after Free Skate.

These guys gave up 35.9 shots per game on average, and Gunnarson was 6th in shots blocked, with 175, and Phaneuf is #20, with 148. That’s a shootload of shots! Did they ever have the puck?

Hardly!

Because they were too big and slow to get it.

And when they had it, they gave it away. I know it’s not the most scientific stat, but they had 881 giveaways this season.
That’s 11 per game. Only Edmonton is worse at 11.65.

It’s the same thing that’s been said by 3-4 successive Habs GMs, that bigger is better when it comes with skill. The Leafs didn’t get enough talent to go with their truculence and didn’t have the all-world goaltending to cover up the holes.

I wouldn’t sniff at them too much though, they had a terrible collapse right at the end, otherwise we’d be neck and neck with them. We got the stretch goaltending and they didn’t.

Yes but our own D is pretty weak – yet our goalies rarely crack. I’m just saying it’s not that far from where they are to where we are. i’m not ready to laugh at them after watching the Habs have half a season of “WTF” only to get a nice string of wins at the right time.

Our D is nowhere near as weak as the Leafs, Bwoar.
They are fast, smart, and varied.
The Leafs’ D is all the same: big and non-mobile.
Our goalies don’t deal with so many shots on a regular basis, so there is no reason why they would crack.

And this ‘nice string of wins’ has to do with our players clicking, and the addition of Vanek. You make it sound like the Leafs have just been unlucky to have slumped, while we were lucky to have had a good spell.

It isn’t so much the issue of what Boston is doing, but that their approach is the standard one of not resting your starter prior to the playoffs. I can see Budaj playing with Price as backup but leaving CP back home is worrisome.

Wow…Erie won again last night to complete a sweep of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the second round of the OHL playoffs. Most OHL pundits felt the Greyhounds would be in tough against Erie, but I don’t think anybody saw them getting swept in 4 games while being outscored 12-3.

That wasn’t a lightweight team that Erie spanked…the Greyhounds were one of the more solid defensive teams in the OHL this season. Erie’s really hitting their stride.

As for the other Western Conference series, Guelph overcame London 4-2, scoring 3 goals in the last 10.5 minutes of the game (including an empty netter). Robby Fabbri and defenceman Phil Baltisberger each scored two goals, while Kerby Rychel bounced back from his dreadful Game 2 to post 3 assists.

The Storm, as they often do, out-shot the Knights 51-41 on the game. On the series, Guelph is now averaging 41.7 shots per game versus the Knights’ average of 38.0 shots per game. Not exactly a chess match! Guelph out-shot Plymouth 45.0 to 31.6 in their 5-game first round series.

One thing I love about the Storm this year is that their games are almost always exciting for both teams. Guelph goes for it on every shift. When we were at Game 2, the brother of a friend came in for the game and was surprised at how wide open the Storm play. They were killing a penalty at one point and committed all four players in the offensive zone trying for a short-handed goal (they scored two on the same London power play in Game 1!). In this case, it back-fired and London was able to counter-attack, ending up with a 3-on-1 that resulted in a power play goal.

Defensive hockey afficionados need not watch this series…it is not for you. But if you want to see two highly skilled offensively-minded teams going at it, try to catch a Guelph-London game!

Hey Chris!I wish they would televise more OHL games. Hey,how about that epic collapse by the Fronts this year? Up 3-0 against the Petes and then they choke 4 straight! I knew it was to good to be true. At least Sam Bennet is going places.Saludos!

I’ve read Jack Todds article and others regarding Subban and his contract with the team. People keep bringing up how he keeps getting into trouble and he’s minus this and bad play that, low ice time etc. Although I feel MT needs to give PK more confidence, I also feel that when his freaking d partner is Bouillon what the heck do you expect, Gorges and others have been able to save PKs but Bouillon not so much.

Tonight we will see both of our touted rookie defensemen out on the ice in the same game against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Let’s hope Beaulieu and Tinordi come to play tonight, and keep their mistakes to a minimum. These kids are the future for Montreal.

Re the Leafs…if they had not lost Bernier OR Carlyle had not ripped Reimer I believe they make the playoffs. I don’t watch the LEafs as much as the HAbs of course but I do see them play quite a bit and I see them as a team that still has their best days ahead of them. JVR, KEssel, KAdri, BErnier, REilly, Gardiner all stil have their best years ahead of them. I think what they lacked was true leadership….Phaneuf is a better hockey player than people give him credit for but although he may have an alpha male personality I do not see him fit as a leader of a winning hockey club.

If the Lefas had a better leadership group in place I thinkt hey would be better off. I think they expected guys like Bolland and CLarkso to do that…and that was a reasonable expectation. Bolland can;t shake injurya nd Clarkson although statisitically appears to be eve3rything you would not …the more I hear aobut him the more his heart is int he right place but that he is not the highest IQ hockey guy out there. IN a captain att he NHL level IMO you need the following attributes: Comunication skills…..this means not just being able to communicate but being approachable and generally well liked and receptive. Intelligence-a captain needs to lead on the ice through team first decision making …don;’t have to be the best player but have to be one of the best at making team based decisions on the ice, knowing when to gamble and when not to, when to retaliate and when to just eat it and take a punch, when to dump it in and get off,etc. A captain must also have a fine balance of intensity/compete level and composure…..these are also necessary attributes IMO to a coaching staff that will get the most out of their club.

The Leafs will compete again next year and are built very similarly to the HAbs….I liken them to haveing been the HAbs and dressed Beauliue and Tinordi all year and had Price injured at the wrong time. There is not much separating playoff teams and non playoff teeams anymore…it doesn’t take much. I think the right places are for themost part in place for the Leafs so I wouldn’tgo bragging too much because they will be right there with the HAbs for the next couple of years IMO.
As much as someone like KAdri annoys, he is a heck of a hockey player and I liken him to Marchand…if he were playing with BErgeron I think he would be a much better player. Marhcand is easy to dislike…but if you eliminate the dirty side he is a fanatastic hockey player, fearless on te puck, great penalty killer, good and dangerous 5 on 5 and responsible defensively. I think Kadri will be a slightly better version of Marchand…..probably somewhere in between Marchand and a Doug Gilmour. I think he could be a point a game player when he peaks and still cause disruptions and annoy the other team and be effective. He needs real leadership though…all of those young guys do.

He seems to be a better goal scorer for sure, though Ribs probably a better playmaker. As for strength? I’m not sure, so i won’t argue that. He’ll definitely act tough when some goon is there to ‘hold him back.’

So much of Kadri… 6’1″ and rather light, flashy offensive skill, annoying eogmaniacal mouth-piece… reminds me of Ribeiro. Probably a point a game player for a decent stretch, but never the guy you want on your team as the #1.

I agree with almost everything you said here, Rob. I think one of the big problems with the Leafs has been their coaching choices. I think they might have been better off with a good communicator behind the bench (Paul Maurice comes to mind) after the Ron Wilson run, but they instead went with another dictator/old-school coach in Randy Carlyle. The players had already learned to tune out Wilson, and Carlyle is in many respects the same kind of coach.

The other big problem for the Leafs was their depth down the middle. Like you pointed out, Bernier was injury prone this year and Carlyle was playing mind-games with Reimer. At center, Bolland missed ~55 games, while Tyler Bozak missed 20 games. Bozak, Bolland and Jay McClement represent the defensive conscience of the Leafs: the rest of their key forwards are guys think offence first in all situations.

The other problem in Leaf land is that they have persisted in getting too many “tough” players without enough emphasis on that those players actually have skill. You don’t need an entire fourth line of skill-deficient tough guys. You need one, at most.

The Leafs need to improve their forward depth so they can rely a little less heavily on their top-9 and they desperately need to improve their defence corps. With Phaneuf, Franson, Gardiner and Rielly, they have the makings of a good group, and one that should be even better with another year of experience under their belts next season.

Leafs fans are understandably and justifiably in despair this season. But I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see the Leafs be a team that can pull a pretty remarkable turnaround. There are philosophy problems with some of those players, but I think the right coach in can do very well with that roster.

Agree on leadership/character thing. Leafs defensively are just hopeless and need a lot of work. They lead the leaque with shots on goal so something has to happen. As for guys like Clarkson he has time to turn it around but historically when players reach the age of 30 productivity decreases good luck with that.

Do you believe that Gillis built that team or did he take over a team ready for success. Did Brian Burke build the Anaheim Ducks Cup winning team?

I don’t disagree with the premise that tanking in a City like Montreal/Vancouver is unacceptable, but Toronto did have some tanking years under Burke and it was accepted as growing years. The fact those picks were traded looked terrible for awhile, but Kessel has become a bonafide scorer in the League. If not for his boardroom and off hours antics, he is still the GM in Toronto.

The reality is though that Burke was not patient enough to build through the draft. He thought he could be smarter than every other GM and trade his way out of it. He did make some great trades for Lupol and JVR, but the Leafs lineup just had too many holes to fix through trades. Kessel has worked out, but I really do think they would be better off with Seguin and Hamilton, two young blocks to build around the middle of the ice instead of a one-trick-pony winger. This lack of patience is what hurts Canadian markets. Gainey was so frustrated after the 2008 team failed so badly after 5 years of careful building that he blew it up and tried to fix it through free agency. Again, like the Leafs, it resulted in some nice players but ultimately the team still had too many holes and not enough depth.

When Gauthier took over, he started a proper rebuild process, but unfortunately it cost him his job, which is what Dipsy is talking about I think. Nevertheless, the Habs are benefitting now from many of the moves Gauthier made.

I would have to agree. Someone might argue that the Oilers haves stockpiled high draft picks and it didn’t work for them!

The Oilers were complete idiots and drafted highly skilled but mostly smallish players with zero grit. It might work out in the end for the Oilers, probably will, but only after they make a few trades for some meat and potatoes type players.

Hey DD. I accept that had the team made the playoffs, he might not have been fired, but I think his handling of the goalie situation plus the coaching decision was pretty key. I just don’t think it’s as simple as not making the playoffs once. Some Toronto GMs have stuck around for a few dismal seasons although this one may not. While tanking is not a desired option for any of us, I think Calgary and Edmonton are still both being supported, and Murray’s job ‘seems’ secure for now.

Lets stop acting like 4th graders.Hats off to Leaf fans.They support their team and all they want is a good show, some effort and a few wins.just like the faithful Hab fans. 2 good organisations with financial stability. Only mistake with these teams is not letting the team get into a real re-building mode.That requires real patience that the owners are reluctant to burden their fans with.

Somewhere, deep in the third sub-basement under the parking garage where the pipes always leak, there could be a game later this week in which the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Ottawa Senators for the championship of Ontario.

one of my favorites..I want a F#%@ car, and I want it F#%@ now..
“Your going the wrong way!” “Your going to kill someone!”
“Do you really think this car is fit for the road?”..and lets sell some shower curtain rings…

People gloating over the Leafs’ collapse should take a moment to remember our own epic collapse in 2009 culminating in being swept by the Bruins, not to mention our ignominious loss to the Senators last year. Complacent smiles will be wiped off our faces if we suffer a similar fate this year.

Last season, all my leaves fan buddies kept reminding me that their team was waaayyyy better than the Habs because they lasted longer in the playoffs. I see I’ve been more fortunate than you to this point because, I haven’t heard a peep from them since the leaves were on their west coast swing beating LA and Anaheim.

The goal of the marathon season is to get to the playoffs. We know that what happens next is tied to lots of variables. Losing to the bruins in 4 wasn’t a collapse. It was a string of bad hockey, bad bounces and better goaltending for the Bruins’.

A collapse is losing a 3-goal lead in the 3rd period of the 7th game to the bruins.

A collapse is fighting for home-ice advantage with 17 games left in the season and then (I’ve lost track… is it 12 of the last 15 games?) losing so many games you are out of the playoffs.

This edition of the Leaves have been jinxed… well, the edition of the Leaves since 1967. It’s one big edition.

2009 was a collapse of epic proportions. We had a great first half to the season, followed by a complete implosion, the reasons for which never became totally clear. I will never forget the Western road trip that spring, in which we played absolutely the worst hockey I have ever seen a Habs team play. Remember being trounced by both the Oilers and the Flames? Remember Carbo trying to turn his defencemen into forwards? Remember giving up two short-handed goals on the same powerplay? What happened in the playoffs after that mess was just a footnote.

Ah yes but at least we can smile..even if its temporary..and as far as our ignominious loss to the Turds..I am reminded weekly about it, so its pretty hard to ignore ..I am and will continue to enjoy the Sens being tossed..nothing will wipe that smile from my face…

Looking at the standings this morning, it’s highly unlikely that Detroit catches Tampa. However, I would love to see a Wings vs. Habs first round match up just for the entertainment value. This would definitely be a barn burner.

Chance for what? Actually sarcasm aside, I am in full agreement. Tinordi/Beaulieu should be playing their hearts out, trying to get onto that playoff starting roster. The fellows on the 4th line including Bourque should also be giving there all as some of our Black Aces may soon be ready to resume duties.

Then there is the issue of playing for home ice, and Budaj is going to want to show that lapse of bad fortune a few weeks back is long gone.

Couple of not ready for prime time defenders, Morgan Reilly, Jake Gardiner. They look like non-physical forwards trying to play defense. Tim Gleason is top 4 for that group. Beaulieu and Tinordi are a better combo going forward.

There’s something particularly sad abut this edition of the Leaves. Watching Phaneuf and Kessel grumble and shake their heads on the bench as if to say: ‘Usually, I’m tearing up this league and have an unusually exceptional winning tradition. What’s wrong with me tonight?’

Sad, when you see people who cannot see themselves for what they truly are… Leaves.

I think there’s a curse on Toronto that will only clear up when they change Leafs to Leaves.

You are actually incorrect re: grammar. They are apparently named after the WWI regiment the Maple Leaf Regiment. Being a proper noun, you would not change the Maple Leaf to Maple Leaves. IE: Ryan Leaf and his family are coming to dinner. The Leafs are coming to dinner.

Well all you leaf fans out there now I know why yous are on this site. You would like to speak with fans of a team that are not failures year after year, sure the habs havent won a cup in awhile but I do not consider that a failure. Not making it to the post season is one. You play all reg season to get there, but if you dont get in I would consider it a failure and to all those leaf fans you will have the blue jays to watch fail. I want you guys to remember next year in October if the leafs win the first game of season not to start bragging about first place. I would hate to be a leafs fan. GO HABS GO

Your post made me curious about why so many teams missed this guy. He was passed over twice in the draft as he was first eligible in 2009, so he is a late bloomer. Despite being tied with Couturier in points the year he was drafted, he wasn’t even ranked by central scouting as a 19 year old, but the concern seemed to be a lack of size and strength.

You’re right about Palat. They’re talking about him for the Calder in Tampa. He has only 5 fewer points than Nate MacKinnon, and more even strength points. Montreal will have to pay close attention to this kid in the playoffs, he is Tampa Bay’s leading scorer this year. He could hurt us if we let him run around unencumbered.

Too bad Habs aren’t closing out season in TO.
Would be a Laff to just bus the Bulldogs down there to strart a few fights and pot a few behind Rimmer whilst the boys head out for a few steaks and lagers in MTL.

I had to make some changes as over on the NHL.com site they have a countdown to playoffs and have them (the playoffs) starting on Wed. the 16th. So habs probably start on thursday and get the HNIC game 2 saturday night. The habs series might interfere with the marlies series and that’s about it!

Tampa played textbook lead protection in the third period. The Leafs barely had a shot, let alone a scoring chance. If they play that way against us with the lead, we’ll have a tough time coming back. And if we give them a 2-goal lead, forget it.

They won’t be able to hold the lead playing against the Habs like that. First of all, Habs have Michael Therrien and he will do the coaching. Then Habs have my man DD – he alone will turn the game around and get it into overtime. Then in overtime, Franky Bouillon, who by then would have played about 20 minutes more than any other defenseman, will score a game winner.

Ryane Clowe and Kevin Bieksa are listed together in the standings, I’m taking it to mean they’re essentially tied. I don’t think one player being listed one slot above another means he’s absolutely better. More like, the players in the top end of the range are better than the players in the middle or bottom range.

In that case, it’s not bad. Certainly a good conversation starter and it makes a lot of sense when you look at it by its broader strokes. If it’s supposed to be a definitive order, though, you have to admit there are some discrepancies.

I had posted earlier today how sweet it would be to watch the leafs and sens play saturday with nothing to play for. I’ll be at the bell centre watching the habs so i guess i will just have to get someone to pvr the game for me so I can watch PJ and Glen sulk.

On another note, do they wait until the final game of the season to release the playoff schedule?

In plain words Tampay Bay has been scoring one power play every 6 minutes, while the Habs have been scoring one every 20 minutes with their new acquisitions on the ice with the man advantage.

Of course we can close our eyes and hope that things will just “get better” on their own and/or we can hope to neutralize this special teams disadvantage because we are better then Tampa on the penalty kill. however I would hope that the Habs brain trust is not actually believing that they are “ready for the playoffs”.
They should be working 18 hours a day analyzing power play strategies and systems until they discover something that works.

It has been reported that the Bruins managed to win a cup two seasons ago despite having had almost no success on the power play and its true that (assuming the penalty kill is shutting the opponents PP down ) the team can advance through the playoffs without scoring on the PP, it will be a heck of a lot easier to win , and advance, if we can manage to actually score a goal on every third, fourth, or fifth powerplay.

Personally, I don”t believe that this team (at least the way that Therrien has them lined up) can have a successful playoff run without a decent contribution from their Power Play unit.

you are right, the power play should be better, but it is only one part of the game. Right now, the habs are finding a way to win, and if someone can eliminate Boston, are as good a bet as any to reach the finals.

no, it has nothing to do with those two players per se, I could have just as easily used the Overall team numbers of goals scored per minute of powerplay time. The only reason I did not do that was because it would have taken longer to extract the numbers for the teams using only data from games “post trading deadline”.

My point was not to compare two players but the relative strength of the two teams on the Powerplay. In both case the data from the last 60 minutes of PP time (each teams number one line only) should give us a good indication of how they are performing going into the playoffs. How their respective PP”s performed prior to the trade deadline is not very relevant at this time.

I would have never thought in a million years that our Habs will be the only Canadian team in the Playoffs. I was counting on at least 4 teams being there(Vancouver, Ottawa & even the Laffs). Should be nice & peaceful on CBC.

Watching the Leafs game, I’m trying to figure out if my heart rate is the same as JVR? I’m sitting on the couch, but I just watched him stand in the same spot for 15 seconds. His give a $7&# meter is zero.

Carlyle has to go. I used to think he was a good coach but the team is so undisciplined defensively that a lot of it has to be coaching, or they just tuned him out, either way he has to go. Nonis may hang on but Carlyle will be gone.